Compass
by citigirl13
Summary: "I did not choose you." David, Neal, Gold and Snow witness a moment between Hook and Emma and begin to realise that there's something they're missing. Post-2x15


**These two have been swirling in my head for ages. This came out of nowhere and since there were a pitiful amount of Hook scenes or Emma/Hook scenes in 2x15 I decided I needed to make something for myself. Hope you enjoy. **

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters**

**xXx**

**Compass**

"What is _he _doing here?"

David's glare was immovable as his eyes landed on Hook. The pirate didn't even hesitate in giving him an equally dark glare. Snow put a hand on David as he stepped forward, his fists clenched.

"I called him."

David, Snow, Gold and Neal all stared at Emma. The should-be princess did not so much as glance at them. Her eyes were on the pirate who stood before her. He met her gaze, though unlike her he did not pause to glower at everyone in the room, especially Neal and Gold.

Neal quickly held up his hands. "Relax, okay?" he said.

Hook growled menacingly as an answer. David shared a look with Snow. Though they disliked Hook, they could usually count on him being darkly optimistic. But he simply seemed in a bad mood right now. He was now staring at Gold with burning eyes.

"Got a problem?" Gold asked rhetorically. He was leaning heavily on his cane but he still met Hook's gaze straight.

"That you still seem to be breathing," hissed Hook. His hand slipped towards the handle of his sword and David quickly pulled his gun out.

"_Enough!_" Emma was by David's side in an instant, her hand on his wrist. She looked to Hook, who hadn't even glanced at Emma – indeed, Snow noted that it seemed like he was avoiding her. "Can we please be civil for a minute Killian? Just a minute?"

"We stole your boat weeks ago," Neal muttered, though a desk was between him and Hook as he said this. "Get over it."

"You knew me at Neverland," Hook snarled. "And if you recall, I do not like people on my ship."

David expected things to get worse, but to his surprise Hook moved his hand away from his sword. He gaze finally lifted in their direction, to Emma. "You asked me here," he reminded her, his teeth gritted together.

Her look was not so nice either. Nodding, she walked towards him. David had to force himself not to reach out to her. His fists were clenched as his daughter went closer to the pirate, and he looked to Snow to gain commiseration in his feelings. Though his wife had a look of intensity on her face, it wasn't filled with hate.

Emma and Hook stood mere inches apart. There wasn't much different between their heights, and so they caught each other's gazes. There was an odd awkwardness in the room, which only Emma and Hook understood. Gold was leaning back on his cane, his face betraying nothing; Neal's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, his brow furrowed.

"We need your help," she finally said.

Hook remained silent.

Taking a breath, Emma went on. "You're good with maps." It wasn't a question. "We've got some idea where Regina and Cora hid the dagger. But the map they drew is confusing. We need you work out where in Storybrooke they've hidden it-"

"Do not take me for a fool," snapped Hook. "I understand what you're asking me to do."

"Hey," Neal said sharply as David called, "Watch it Hook."

The two of them were ignored.

"Killian, we need to find this dagger."

"Why should I?" he asked. His mouth was a lot closer to Emma's than David liked. "Why should I do anything to help him?"

"Killian, if they have the dagger than they could use Gold to kill all of us, including you." Snow was surprised when he daughter reached out and touched his arm. Neal made a small sound in the back of his throat, and Hook was staring at her hand as if it was fire. "Please," she murmured. "We need you."

Hook's gaze was hooded. "We?" he asked, so quietly that the others almost couldn't hear him.

The tension was almost suffocating. A thousand breathes seemed to be held until Hook said, his tone begrudging, "Show me the map." If possible people grew more nervous as Emma led Hook further into the station, to the map.

As he talked Emma through the map, David watched them. While the two of them consciously seemed to avoid becoming too close, subconsciously Hook leaned closer to Emma while Emma shifted his weight towards him. She flicked her hair (which was unusually tied back) towards him, and it was almost as if Hook was trying to get closer to it. David tried to think about when he had seen Hook and Emma together, but he could only think of Emma being with Neal, sending him looks in the apartment and having whispered arguments after Henry was asleep. His eyes went to Neal. The boy was staring at Emma, his gaze anxious and bewildered. Despite Hook's reputation, David had the sudden urge to put himself between Emma and Neal.

"Do you have the compass?"

Emma lifted the compass to Hook. "It hasn't been working though," she fretted. "The dial doesn't move-"

"Let me see," Hook commanded, his hand reaching for the compass.

"No," Emma said, moving it away.

"What?" Hook's voice was loud and impatient. "You don't trust me?"

"That's not what I meant," Emma said. To everyone's surprise her voice was meek. Guiltily she lowered her arm and Hook made a grab for it. His fingers touched the compass as he wrapped his hand round Emma's –

A sudden burst of electricity strove through the room. Snow gasped and David pulled hold of her. He could see Gold and Neal move towards each other, a reflex. It was as if there had been a blackout, except instead of seeing it you could _feel _it: an electric current reaching its peak before snapping.

"What the hell Gold?" David's temper, like Hook's, was beginning to fray.

"That wasn't me!" Gold defended himself. Instead his eyes moved back to Emma and Hook in the centre. Both of them were staring down at the compass and it was only then a humming sound could be heard.

"Is that-?" Snow began.

"The compass," Emma said. Her eyes were laid on the compass, as bare as any lover. "It's working."

The dial of the compass span round and round, a crazy carousal. It was going so fast all you could see was a blur. Then, as suddenly as it had sped up, it began to slow. The dial dithered, at first pointing north-west where Neal was standing, and then going north where Hook was. It went back and forth until finally it gave another spin before landing steadily north, pointing unwaveringly at Hook.

Hands still touching, Hook raised his gaze to Emma's. "There you are love," he said lowly. Abruptly he dropped his hand away from hers and turned on his heel, walking away.

For a moment Hook was the only one that was moving. Then Emma sprang forward after him. "Killian-"

"Why did you call me here?" Hook whirled round to face her, like a bull preparing to charge. Emma skidded to a stop and the others rushed towards her.

"Don't talk to her like that," Neal snapped. He was between them in a second and his arms went out to shield Emma. For a moment he stood the hero, the man who had defended the girl from the monster, but a mere second later Emma pushed past him and went towards Hook.

"I told you," she said, now standing close to him. "We needed you to read the map-"

Hook snorted. "Please," he said, his voice dripping with disgust. "You did not need me to help you with the map – you have a prince and the Dark One at your side. You could have worked it out, albeit it may have taken longer. Why did you really call me here?"

Emma glanced down at her feet. Then she lifted her head back up. "I don't understand-"

"Yes you do." Hook's voice, in contrast to what it had been seconds ago, was the voice of a mouse. "We both know."

Once again there was an awkward silence as Hook and Emma stared at each other. Snow's heartbeat was beginning to slow down until it leapt again as Hook whirled round and let out a roar. Everyone in the room jumped and practically sprang backwards when he lunged back towards the room. He pointed his hook at Emma. "I did not want this," he fumed.

"What?" Emma cried. "You think I did?"

"I have no idea what goes on in your head lass."

"I thought I was an open book," she shot back. "Was that all talk?"

When Hook spoke with intensity, he dominated the room. "You can't sleep without a cup of tea before bed," he said. "You dress like a man because you want to play the hero, but also because you can't stand being thought of as the damsel in distress. You say you don't want to be important and yet you cannot stand to hand control over to anyone else. But of course, why would you? The last time you left control in someone else's hands, you crashed." No one could miss the look of loathing he shot at Neal.

This time it was a stunned silence.

Emma said, her voice trembling, "I didn't choose you."

Hook pinched the bridge of his nose. "I did not choose you either," he murmured. "Or at least, I did not think I did. Clearly we have though." He nodded to the compass Emma was still holding in her hand.

Without warning he went forward. Emma moved her arms behind his head and their lips met as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if they had been doing this all their lives. Snow, Neal, Gold and David had their mouths open as Emma and Hook kissed. Eyes closed, it seemed they did not want to see the others' reaction. Or maybe they simply did not care.

God knows how long it was until they broke apart. It seemed time had frozen again. Emma backed away. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked down at the ground, consciously sweeping a hand through the escaped strands of her hair. Hook on the other hand was still watching her. He did not seem at all pleased; if anything his face seemed even darker than before.

"Until next time Swan," he said. Without sparing any of the others a glance, he strode out the room. The large bang of the door closing signalled his departure.

The room was quiet. Everyone was staring at Emma, while she was staring at no one. David looked to his wife but did not see surprise on her face, only grim resolve. He realised Snow had known more than she had said, and he dimly wondered in the back of his mind when Emma had started calling him Killian. Gold was as always unreadable. Only Neal broke the silence and Emma looked at him.

"So," he said, his mouth flat. "It's like that."

"Yeah." It didn't seem like Emma realised that her fingers were touching her lips, or that she was staring at the place where Hook had been, or that tears were welling in the corners of her eyes. "It is."


End file.
